A Wolfish Personality
by FanNotANerd
Summary: Before Link can even blink, his life is shattered. No matter what he does, he is crushed between the relentless jaws of fate. Or is someone else pulling the strings? An alternate plotline to Twilight Princess. Warning: depressing.
1. Foreword

**Forward**

This story really doesn't contain TP spoilers, because it deviates severely from the plot of the game. When I beat it, I found the climax to be fairly anticlimactic. So, what started as merely a parallel plotline I found cool evolved into a complete alternate ending. Remember, this is my first attempt at writing, so any reviews would be strongly appreciated. Personally, I think it turned out pretty damn good. It's not for the weak-hearted though. I rated it M for a reason. (No lemons, so you perverts that actually like those will have to go somewhere else) Those reasons include: Intense graphic violence, including some truly brutal executions, coarse language and all that shit, and use of alcohol, blah blah blah. There's also some character death that you may or may not object to (No, I'm not telling you who I kill off. That would kinda defeat the purpose) and some tearjerker scenes during and after said character death. (I think my mother may have forced me to watch one too many chick flicks)

So, if you haven't been intimidated by all that, read on. Enjoy. And please review.

Seriously. I need to know what people think about this.

Disclaimer: Regrettably, I own a _copy_ of the game, but not the rights to the game itself. Those go to Nintendo.

Any resemblances to other stories on this site are unintentional and entirely coincidental. It just means we think alike.

Oh, yeah, and by the way, when you review, please be vague regarding spoilers. If you want to say something about one of those, send me a private message. I just don't want you guys to inadvertently spoil it for anybody.

By the way, last time I checked this story had over ten thousand hits. And only eleven reviews. That's 0.1%. I think you guys can do a little better than that.


	2. The Burning Sands

Trudging through Gerudo Desert, Link cursed softly. The sun beat down mercilessly, and h felt as if he'd been walking for hours. Yet he was no closer to the odd tower that rose above the desert. Before venturing into the Arbiter's Grounds, Link had caught sight of the odd spire and decided to investigate it later. Maybe it would lend a clue to the location of the mirror shards. The sages had said one was in the heavens. Lost in his musing, he tripped over a rock. He let out a hiss of pain as the sand, heated by the sun, seared his hand. He swore again, spat out the sand that always seemed to be getting into his mouth, and continued walking. Finally, as twilight was nearing, the he approached the base of the tower. To be perfectly honest, it wasn't much of a tower. It looked more like a wall tipped on its side, or something. He stopped, and stared at it, scratching his head. Midna came out of his shadow and looked around. "Huh," Link said. "Who'd put a tower like this here?"

Midna shrugged. "Beats me," she replied.

Link frowned. "Do you think maybe it's that bridge that was warped away?"

Midna smiled at the memory.

_Link gently pulled on the reins, stopping Epona before the Bridge of Eldin. "Whoa," he said, awestruck. As he had never left Ordon Province before, he'd never seen anything of this scale. Midna snorted, not impressed. "Are you kidding?" she said, looking around, "This is NOTHING compared to some of the things we built in the Twilight Realm."_

_Link was oblivious to her comments. He slowly walked Epona across the great bridge, gazing around at the landscape surrounding him. So rapt was he, that he never noticed the warp portal opening above him. He jumped off the horse, and looked off the bridge, admiring the view. Something niggling in the back of his head alerted him. Something was amiss. Unsheathing his sword, he looked around, stepping toward the end of the bridge. This ended up saving him, as at that moment, the portal hungrily sucked up the bridge. The stone under his right foot dissolved into darkness, leaving his left foot planted on the bridge, while his right hung over thin air. "Ohhhhhhhhh, SHIT!" Link yelled, windmilling his arms for balance._

_Midna chuckled, then floated in front of him and gave him a light push in the right direction. Link fell heavily on the bridge. "Son of a bitch," he said, panting. "That was close."_

"I remember that," Midna said. "You weren't paying attention and almost fell off the bridge when it was warped away."

"Hey! That's not true!" Link protested. "I was so paying attention!"

"Whatever," Midna replied curtly. "So, it looks like we found it."

"Hm," Link mused. "Wonder how we're gonna get it back to Eldin? There's no portal around here,"

Midna started to reply, then her crimson eyes widened. "Link! Look out!"

Link whirled, unsheathing his sword, and faced the four shadow beasts that had snuck up behind him. The closest one was already winding back to rip him apart with claws like sabers. Before Link even thought about it, his sword leapt forward and buried itself in the beast's chest. Link twisted the blade a full ninety degrees, and ripped sideways. He then advanced on the other three. Without even being aware of it, he was growling deep in his throat.

He dashed towards the shadow beasts, and suddenly his sword was everywhere at once. One of the beasts collapsed, blood spewing from a dozen fatal slashes in its face and chest, while the other two backed up, obviously afraid. One was nursing the stump of its severed hand. Link didn't give them a chance to regroup. Reversing the blade, he dashed forward, his two-handed slash almost cutting the closest beast in half. He rammed the blade into its spine for good measure, then spun the blade in an elaborate flourish before cutting the last beast down with a savage overhand blow. He then rammed the sword into the beast's head and howled in victory, the primal sound echoing across the desert.


	3. Burning Bridges

After he had exhausted the air in his lungs, Link felt a curious urge. He wanted to throw the sword aside and run through the desert, the wind whistling through his fur, the sand, so hot on his hands and feet, cool on his paws…

Suddenly, rational thought returned to Link in a rush. He staggered slightly, placing a hand against his temple. Shaking his head, he picked up and sheathed his sword, and turned to face Midna. He was a little confused, because she still seemed terrified. He disregarded it, and turned to the tower/bridge fragment. "Well, at least we can warp it out of here now," he said nonchalantly. When Midna didn't respond, he turned and faced her. "What?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

What? Midna thought. What? He practically rips those things apart, and all he has to say for himself is 'What'? When fighting the shadow beasts, Link had shown a ferocity that she'd never seen him show before in his human form. And the howl…The howl chilled her bones. And now, he was acting as if nothing was wrong. He's acting more like a wolf than a human, even in human form! She decided to leave it, deciding it must be because of the length of time he spent as a wolf. While tracking down the four Poes in the Arbiter's Grounds, it would be easier to say how long he didn't stay in wolf form.

Midna realized Link was still waiting for her to reply. "Um…" she said, debating whether to tell him or not. "Well, uh…" She decided not to voice her suspicions, and to go with the angry approach. "I told you that you need to pay more attention!" she hissed. "You didn't even notice them until I pointed them out!"

Link backed up against the bridge, holding his palms out. "Whoa, take it easy!"

Midna turned around, sitting in the air. "Well, whatever. You want to get this to the right place?"

Link, confused by her sudden change of mood, nodded. What's up with her? he thought. She's freaking me out a little. Without another word, Midna lifted the bridge out of the ground (It still amazed Link that she could do that, and was still almost useless in battle) and warped it to the northern fringe of Eldin Province.

_**Later…**_

Midna walked along the newly repaired bridge, pleased with her handiwork. Sure, there had been a few minor incidents when Link got in the way of the bridge, but it was eventually dropped back into place. Meanwhile, Link was searching through some grasses. Midna sighed in resignation, and walked over. He hadn't done anything odd while in wolf form, so that was good. But she was still uneasy. She didn't want to transform him into a wolf again, but she couldn't warp him in human form. Finally, Link found what he was looking for. He picked the deep maroon reed, held it to his lips, and blew the three-note sequence that his horse always heard, wherever she was. A few minutes later, Link was rewarded by the whinny of his approaching horse. Epona galloped up, coming to a halt in front of him. Link smiled, clucking his tongue as he stroked her neck. Scratching her under the forelock, he jumped into the saddle, signaling Midna to follow him. Confused, she asked, "Where are we going? Castle Town's that way." Link had originally wanted to visit Telma to see if her band had any more clues.

"I decided to visit Ilia," Link replied, checking the girth strap and saddlebags. "Maybe her memories have come back"

For an instant, Midna felt nothing but rage. How could he be so concerned about a girl who couldn't even remember him? Why was he so besotted with her? What had she done to stay the object of his affection when there were obviously better choices out there…

Link took Midna's silence as an objection. He turned away from Epona, eyebrow raised. "Why are you always so reluctant to let me see Ilia?" he asked. "She's my closest friend."

And probably more than that, Midna thought bitterly.

"Seriously," Link continued. "What's your problem with her?"

_My problem is that YOU belong to ME!_ Midna immediately flamed red. Did she really just think that? What was with her? Without even answering, she hid in Link's shadow. At least there, he couldn't see the bitter tears that ran down her face.

"Midna?" Link asked. His only response was silence. Sighing, he mounted Epona_. I swear_, he thought, _when she doesn't drive me crazy, she drives me crazy_. He paused. He had meant the first "drive me crazy" in a romantic way. What was that? I mean, she's cute and all, but… He smacked his forehead. What was he thinking? He adjusted his paws on the reins. Wait. Paws? He glanced down again. Normal human flesh, covered by leather gloves. _That's it_, he thought,_ I'm going nuts._


	4. Ambush

**Right, so this chapter gets REALLY violent. It's pretty important plot-wise, but the weak-hearted might want to skip it. Just warning you. By the way, as I said, this is the first thing I've EVER written, so I would really like some reviews.**

Link slowly walked Epona towards Hyrule Field. On either side of him, sheer rock slopes stretched upwards. The passage was only a few metres wide, and after several hours of passing through it, Link was beginning to get a little claustrophobic. Pulling on the reins, he stopped the horse, looking around. Something was amiss. Looking behind him, he saw something duck into the shadows. Uneasy, he clucked his tongue to Epona and started moving her forward again. Suddenly, with a loud "Hiyah!" he spurred Epona into a gallop.

The Bulbin trailing him, seeing its prey getting away, raised its crudely made bow, firing an arrow at Link. Link grunted as it struck him between the shoulder blades, glancing off the chain mail underneath his tunic. Suddenly Epona stopped, rearing. Two more Bulbins had just stepped out from the end of the mountain passage, waiting in Hyrule Field. Ambush! Link thought. Spurring Epona forward, he drew his sword, hewing through the left-hand Bulbin's neck as he raced by. Drawing his bow, he felled the other Bulbin with an arrow through the eye. "Midna," he said out loud, "Could use some…"

He paused, hacking at another Bulbin that raced beside him on a giant boar. It collapsed, left arm hanging by a string of sinew. "Help here!" he finished. Looking west, he was horrified to see at least another dozen boars approaching from the horizon. He could fight off four, maybe five Bulbins at once, seven on horseback, but twenty -four? That was suicide. "Midna?" he asked again. She was silent. She hadn't spoken a word since disappearing into his shadow at the Bridge of Eldin.

Wheeling Epona around, he decided to demoralize the Bulbins by charging straight at them. They responded by charging at him. Too late, Link noticed the spears they carried. "Shit!" he yelled, pulling back on the reins. As the first pair raced by, a spear caught Link in the chest. Though it didn't penetrate his chainmail, it lifted him out of the saddle. He hit the ground hard, biting off a string of expletives that would have turned the air blue.

"Cowards!" he yelled at the approaching Bulbins. "You are not worthy of combat with me, relying on ambush and numbers!"

He could tell his words had some effect, as most of the charging Bulbins slowed. They surrounded him, watching warily. "If you want _honourable_ combat," Link continued, "Face me on foot. We shall see who is the better warrior then."

To Link's surprise, the Bulbins began to dismount, drawing a motley assortment of daggers and swords. I didn't think that would work, Link thought. His speech was intended to be a last act of defiance. Instead, the Bulbins took him literally. He should have known that, being a warrior tribe, the Moblins were governed by a strict code of honour.

"All right," Link said, spinning the Master Sword in a flourish, "Let's dance".

The Bulbins attacked all at once, blades flashing. Fortunately for Link, their numbers meant they got in each other's way. The first one to reach Link staggered backwards, hands clasped to the fifteen centimeter gash Link had put into its abdomen. Charging straight ahead, Link smashed his shield into one Bulbin's face, hearing the satisfying wet crunch of its nose breaking. He beheaded the next one with a wild backhand swipe, then whirled to catch the first Bulbin's sword on his own. Kicking the Bulbin in the groin, Link used the reprieve to scramble out of the ring of enemies.

Sensing that Link was engaged in combat, Midna finally deigned to come out of his shadow. She emerged just in time to see blood spray everywhere as Link pirouetted to gain momentum, his swing splitting the Bulbin from its left hip to its right shoulder.

"About fucking time you showed up!" Link snarled, parrying frantically.

"What's all this about?" Midna asked, looking at the scene of carnage. Five Bulbins already lay dead or dying, in various states of dismemberment.

At this, Link lost it. Roaring like an angry bear, he smashed his blade down on a Bulbin's head, cleaving its skull open. Trailing gore, his sword then punched through another's cheek, protuding a full six inches on the other side. Then, he was forced to fall back, blocking the thicket of blades that were still seeking to taste his blood. One dagger got past his guard, opening a shallow gash on his right wrist. Though not life-threatening, it bled profusely.

Screaming in rage, Link rammed the sword into the culprit's stomach and ripped upwards, thoroughly eviscerating it. Concern for his well-being was gone. Now his only thought pulsed in his brain like his hammering heart: _Kill, kill, KILL!_

Midna watched, terrified, as Link smashed a Bulbin's face with his shield, then drove his sword into its forehead. This unbelievable ferocity was even worse than when directed at the shadow beasts in the desert. As she watched, he swung his sword hard enough to cut two Bulbins standing abreast in half. Blood soaked his clothing, ran down his face. And still they came. Reduced to less than half their number, the Bulbins continued to advance, attempting to wear the hero down.

It wasn't working. Link seemed to become more dangerous with each kill, now swinging his sword with none of the finesse Midna usually saw. His shield lay forgotten on the ground, unneeded in Link's blind aggression. The bodies continued to pile up, yet Link showed no sign of stopping. The few surviving Bulbins turned and ran, abandoning their weapons. Link gave chase, cutting down one that was too slow to avoid him.

Two remained. At the closest, Link hurled the Master Sword. It revolved once in the air, then struck the fleeing Bulbin at the base of the neck, killing it instantly. The last one, Link ran after, determined on killing it with his bare hands, if necessary. The Bulbin turned, to see a horrifying sight. The gore-soaked Link was chasing him on all fours, moving in a loping gait similar to a wolf's. Convinced they had attacked a demon instead of the hated Link, the Bulbin sprinted faster. But it was not fast enough.

Pouncing on the Bulbin from behind, Link rolled the Moblin over. The creature had gone mad with terror, screeching like a banshee. Baring his teeth in a feral snarl, Link drove his hand into the creature's neck. The Bulbin's eyes bulged as Link cut off its air. Link increased the pressure, crushing the Bulbin's trachea. Blood began to spurt over his hands as his fingers punched through the soft flesh of its throat. The Bulbin, its scream having long since tapered off into a horrible gurgling noise, weakly struggled one last time. Sinking his fingers into the Bulbin's neck up to the second knuckle, Link ripped its throat out in one quick motion. Blood spurted over Link's face turning his blond hair red. The dying Bulbin thrashed one last time, eyes going dim as its lifeblood gushed onto the ground. Growling softly, Link dropped the chunk of flesh, then retrieved his sword and shield.

Suddenly, he stopped. He looked around, seeming surprised at the piled corpses. He ran his hands over his body, checking for injuries, not seeming to notice the blood covering his hands. Finding only the shallow slash on his wrist, he returned to Epona, who had wisely run out of the combat area. She shied away from him at first, although Link had no idea why. Retrieving a rag from the saddlebag, he bound his bleeding wrist, dripping some blue potion on it for good measure.

Turning, he saw Midna levitating in front of him. Her eyes were wide, and she stared at him as if expecting him to kill her where she stood, or, rather, floated. "In the name of the Goddesses," she breathed, "What is wrong with you?"


	5. Realization

"What do you mean?" Link replied, staring at Midna levelly while replacing the medical supplies with a blood-soaked hand.

"Look around!" Midna hissed. "See what you did to them?"

Link frowned. "I dunno why you're getting so worked up about this. You've seen me kill things before."

"Not like this!" Midna exclaimed.

"Not like this…" she repeated, gazing over the piles of dead.

Link had to admit, some of the Moblin's wounds did look rather severe. He was just surprised that he'd fought off over two dozen Moblins, and was still in one piece. Everything was blank, up to the point where he bandaged his wrist. The last thing he remembered was raw fury after the Moblin's dagger sliced his wrist. Come to think of it, that had happened again when he fought the shadow beasts in the desert. He remembered Midna telling him to look out…then his next recollection was standing over the dead shadow beasts, watching them dissolve and form a portal.

"Look at this!" Midna said, interrupting his thoughts. Link strode over, looking at what she was pointing at. A Moblin lay there, sightless eyes forever staring at the sky, a massive, jagged rip in its throat.

Link whistled. 'What happened to that one?" he asked.

Midna turned. "You did it."

Link frowned. "Huh?"

"You did this to it." Midna replied, turning back to the corpse. "You chased it down, pounced on it, and ripped its throat out."

Link swallowed, feeling faint.

"Link," Midna said tenderly, "I'm worried about you. I'm worried Zant's curse…" At this she produced a jagged, orange and black object, "is still having an effect on you."

Link shook his head. "I…I don't understand"

"Face it, Link!" Midna said. "Even when you're human, you're still a wolf. You're losing control."

Her last words struck Link like a hammer blow. In a rush, he suddenly remembered everything. The rage, the adrenaline coursing through his bloodstream, the warmth of blood spattering his face, and finally, the look of terror in the eyes of his foes as they died…

"Oh, Goddesses" he said. He then turned around and vomited.

Breathing heavily, he wiped his mouth, turned around, and looked at the corpse, his face pale. "I'm a monster," he said bitterly.

_Oh, crap,_ Midna thought. _The idiot's having a panic attack._

"I see now," Link babbled, eyes wide. "I'm not meant to save Hyrule, I'm meant to destroy it!"

"Oh, for the love of…" Midna started.

"No!" Link yelled. "Don't try to convince me otherwise! I'm no hero, I'm a destroyer, a reaper of death, an abomination that should never see the light of day!"

Midna could only see one way to calm him before he hurt himself. With this kind of panic, she wouldn't be surprised if he attempted suicide. So, she did the first thing that occurred to her.

Levitating to his level, she floated towards him until their faces were inches apart. Link stared into her eyes, mesmerized by her unblinking gaze. She gently placed a hand on his cheek to hold him steady, should he try and pull back.


	6. A Fragile Thing

Before Link could react, she pulled back and slapped him as hard as she could.

"Yes!" Link yelled. "More! I deserve it!" The fool in green was hysterical at this point.

Midna slapped him again, her palm leaving a harsh imprint on his cheek.

"Why do you bother…" Link started. Midna slapped him.

"I just…" _Slap._

"Want to…" _Slap._

"Okay, now you're…" _Slap._

"Seriously, you can…" _Slap._

"Would you…" _Slap._

"Please…" _Slap._

"STOP THAT!" Link bellowed, grabbing Midna's wrist as she pulled back to slap him again. She slapped him with her other hand.

With a wild growl, he let go of her wrist and punched a nearby tree. Stomping back over, he yelled "What the hell was that for, you bitch?"

"You were hysterical. Now you're just angry. In my book, that's an improvement." Midna responded calmly. However, she watched his eyes carefully in case he went battle-crazy again.

Link grunted, then stomped over to Epona. His horse shied away once again. "Oh, no," he moaned, panic flowering once again in his breast, "Even my horse knows I'm crazy! I'm better off staying a wolf! At least then nobody knows who I am!"

Once again, Midna floated over and slapped him.

"Ow!" he yelled. "Dammit!"

"Maybe you should try looking at yourself," Midna suggested.

Link obeyed, looking at his reflection in the stream. To his alarm, he noticed that he was covered in blood. Even his fair hair was stained red. "Aw, crap!" he said. "I'll never get these stains out!"

"Eh," Midna replied. "The tunic's magical, remember? I would be quite surprised if it stained. Now get cleaned up. You wanted to visit Ilia, remember?"

Link looked up from the stream. "I thought you were against that.," he said.

"Circumstances change," Midna replied.

In truth, she just wanted to get his mind off the wolf-thing while she tried to figure out what exactly it was.

**Several hours later…**

Link sat with his back to the fire, staring out over Kakariko Gorge. He had been that way for some time now. Ilia's memory was far from returning. In fact, when Link visited her, she said something that broke his heart.

"_Ilia!" The girl turned, smiling as the boy in green came through the door. He stopped, conflict clearly visible on his face. He seemed to want to say something, but wasn't willing to. "Hello, Link," Ilia said. "It's nice to see you again."_

"_I…It's nice to see you too."_

"_What kind of trouble have you been getting into?"_

"_You wouldn't believe me if I told you."_

"_Fine. Don't tell me."_

"_Ilia?"_

"_Why do you visit me so much? Are you trying to take advantage of my…condition?"_

"_N-no, I'm just…"_

"_I'm grateful that you helped me, but this pursuit of yours must end. I can't be with you until I know who I am."_

"_What are you talking about?"_

"_I want you to leave, and not come back…"_

_Outside his hut, Renaldo knew from Link's expression what had transpired._

"_I don't even understand why she wanted me to leave…" he said brokenly._

"_Link, I know it may be difficult to accept, but until her memory returns, you must keep your distance from her." Renaldo said. "You…confuse her."_

"_I'll say," Link snorted. "That entire conversation was confused."_

"_No matter. You should stay away from her. I take her two steps forward, but you take her a step back. I'm sorry, but until we find a cure, do not visit her."_

Sitting on the edge of a cliff overlooking the gorge, Link took something out of his pocket. It was a bracelet, cleverly made from woven sheep's wool. Each strand had been dyed a different colour, leading to a mesmerizing effect. For three months, he had laboured on the creation, painstakingly dying and weaving each strand of wool.

He had meant to give it to Ilia before journeying to Castle Town, but was unable because of the attack on the village. He sighed. _It feels so long ago._ Fist tightening on the bracelet, he closed his eyes, tears leaking from beneath the lids. _"I want you to leave, and not come back."_ "Why do you do this to me?" he murmured. His feelings for Ilia were…confused. He loved her, but now Midna just kept sneaking in... His eyes widened. Again, thoughts of Midna pervaded his mind. What the hell was he thinking? _Gods above, I'm in a fucking love triangle!_

Midna watched as Link replaced the bracelet in his pocket, then hunched over. His shoulders began to shake. The sound of quiet sobbing reached Midna's ears. Her heart went out to him as she felt his pain. Yet at the same time, part of her was rejoicing. With Ilia out of the picture, he could focus on her! Shocked, she cursed herself for thinking this way. Link was her _friend._ Suddenly, he straightened up, strapping his sword to his back, and walked out of the firelight. Midna considered going with him, but decided it would be better to leave him alone.

While waiting for Link to return, Midna took some time to examine Zant's curse. She was fairly confident that Link could use it safely, but something about it still frightened her. She closed it in her fist and closed her eyes.

_Fangs ripping through flesh, bones crunching under powerful jaws, claws slashing through skin and tissue like a well-oiled knife, kill, hunt, fight, kill, KILL, KILL!_

Midna recoiled, dropping the curse as if it were a venomous snake. What the hell was this? Were these bombarding Link's mind the entire time? What had Zant done to it? Examining the curse, she noticed a few extra runes on it. As she watched them, they squirmed around on the object like wriggling maggots. Midna shuddered. She'd never seen those runes before, but they made her sick just looking at them.

A haunting chorus of howls echoed over the field.

With a jolt, she remembered Link. Swearing, she rushed after him, hoping that he didn't do anything rash. His mind must have been in an even more fragile state than she had realized. Following his trail, she could only hope that she wasn't too late.

**Whoo! Cliffhanger!**


	7. A Wolf's Healing

Link walked along the side of the river. For some reason, it invoked sadness in him, and a strange yearning feeling. He almost wished he could disappear in the current, shrug off the weight of duty once and for all. He drew the Master Sword, positioning it so he tip rested on his collarbone. One light thrust was all that was required, and he would fall into the river, be carried away by the current. He wouldn't have to bear the deterioration of his sanity, or the pain of everyone around him as he degenerated into a wild animal. He closed his eyes, tipping his head back. His life lay pulsing just a few millimetres under the blade. It would be so easy to let go, to leave the world forever.

Hearing something in front of him, he opened his eyes. Recoiling, he flipped his sword around to attack position. Standing in front of him, panting slightly, was a grey wolf. It was smaller than Link when he entered his wolf from, yet Link noticed several similarities. The proud gleam in its eye, the way it stood in front of Link, unfearing, awoke a deep sense of kinship in him.

Link slowly stretched out a hand, and when the wolf didn't shy away, he placed it on the wolf's head. The wolf merely stared at him. It made a small whining noise.

Something about the way it looked at him said _I know what you're feeling. I know what you're going through. _Link's eyes filled with tears, and he angrily swiped them away. _What's wrong with me?_ he thought. _My life falls apart and I start crying like a baby._

He returned his gaze to the wolf. It stared back, then threw its head back and howled to the sky. The howl spoke of the joy of life and the peace of death, freedom under the stars and the power of true kinship. Link howled as well, adding his voice to the unearthly concert echoing across the valley. As he howled, Link felt his anxiety melt away. The wolf inside him, enraged by the power of the curse, finally quieted. As the voice of Link and the voice of the wolf intertwined in the night air, Link felt a serenity that he had never known before.

Wolf and Link stopped howling, gazing into each other's eyes. At that moment, Link understood. The wolf had been inside him all along. It wasn't his courage the Gods recognized, or his mastery of the blade. It was the proud beast whose heart beat in tandem with his. He looked over to the wolf. Blue eyes met canine gold. "Thank you," Link whispered.

Almost as if it understood Link's words, the wolf nudged Link's hand with its nose, then turned and loped off into the night. Link stood, watching it go. He smiled gently, replacing his sword in his sheath.

Midna rushed along the path, following Link's tracks, faint in the dirt. They were spaced very close together, with no smudges or thrown dirt, showing that he had been in no hurry. She finally burst into a clearing, to see something odd. Her hero was laying his hand of a wolf's head. As they looked into each other's eyes, each threw back their head and howled to the moon. Midna watched, rapt, her eyes filling with tears as the twin voices wove a haunting melody of yearning, of sadness, and finally, of joy. The chorus finally ended, and the wolf and Link gazed on each other again. Withdrawing, the wolf loped off to somewhere over the horizon.

Midna slowly moved over to Link. His eyes were closed, and he appeared completely at peace. He finally turned and noticed her. "Link," she began.

He shushed her and stared at the night sky. Without taking his eyes from the stars, he said something, so low she almost didn't catch it. "I'm better now," he said simply.

Midna took a breath. "There's something I have to tell you…about…the curse." Link looked over, raising an eyebrow.

"There is nothing about the curse that needs knowing. I'm free from it."

"Free?" Midna mocked. "Then what the hell was that?"

Link blinked. "What was what?"

"You know perfectly well what I'm talking about," Midna hissed. "Whatever the hell it was you were doing with the wolf."

"Oh, that."

"Yes, that." Midna snarled.

Link paused for a moment. "Healing."

Confused by his vague answer, Midna cut straight to the chase. "I can't let you turn into a wolf anymore," she stated. "Not until we fully understand what exactly this curse _is_. You may think you're free, but I think otherwise."

Link stared at her, lost for words. "Would you cut off your left arm?" he finally asked.

Now it was Midna's turn to be shocked. "W-what?" she stammered.

"You would cut me off from my other self?" Link demanded. "Like it or not, the wolf is a part of me now, and I'm not letting it go."

"Link," Midna replied gently, "It's for the best."

"I finally accept the beast in me, and now you tear it away?" Link choked.

"Until we understand what it's doing to you, yes." Midna said flatly.

"How could you do this to me?" Link asked.

"Easy. This curse is too dangerous."

"I've never shrank from danger before"

"This is different. Your mind is concerned here-"

"No. It's different now. Me and the wolf…we are parts of a single being. At least now we are."

Midna, confused by his cryptic responses, finally relented. "Fine," she spat. "You can continue becoming a wolf. But the _slightest _sign of any effects, and I'm destroying the curse. I'll throw it into the fires of Death Mountain if need be."

"Trust me," Link said, his eyes cold and determined. "You won't need to."


	8. Heart of Ice

**Three days later…**

Link slowly made his way to the third floor bedroom of the massive mansion. For the better part of a day, Link had explored almost the entire mansion to get to the shard of the Mirror of Twilight. The pair of yetis living in the mansion had been kind enough to show him where the key was after leading him on a merry goose chase around the entire mansion. Link was tired, cold, irritable, and was pretty sure his toes were succumbing to frostbite. The only thing about the entire ordeal that had been worth it was Yeto's soup. Reekfish might smell disgusting, but they made one hell of a broth.

Link sighed, knowing he was almost finished. Midna floated over and placed a hand on his shoulder. She was still concerned about the wolf, but Link had given her no cause to worry. He had let instinct take over a bit while pursuing the scent of the reekfish, but he had stayed well in control of himself. He walked up to the door and unlocked the ornate lock.

Once inside, Yeta led him to the mirror shard. "Come, it this way," she said.

She stopped in front of the mirror. "Here mirror. Look…so pretty."

An imperceptible twitch began in her right eye. "Pretty," she crooned, twitching more violently.

Link stepped back, visibly freaked out. _Is this for real?_

"So pretty," Yeta said again. Her entire body was twitching now. She didn't even seem aware of it. She paused, then wheeled around with an earsplitting screech. Her face was distorted by an animal snarl. "NOT TAKE MIRROR!" she roared.

Link watched, transfixed, as ice began to swirl around Yeta, forming an imposing whirlwind. Shards of ice began to fly in every direction. As suddenly as it began, the whirlwind stopped, showing Yeta now encased in a cradle of ice. Link cried out, drawing his sword, but Yeta was faster. A shard of ice flashed out, almost too fast to see, slashing across Link's hand. Fingers already numb from the blistering cold, the Master Sword clattered to the floor.

Yeta laughed maniacally as she rose up above Link, massive spikes of ice forming at her howl. These hammered into the ice at Link's feet. Whipping out the massive ball and chain he had taken from a suit of armor, he hurled it at the closest spike. The hardened ice was no match for the solid iron ball, and it disintegrated. He destroyed the rest of the spikes in a similar matter. "Ha!" he taunted, spinning the ball and chain above his head. "That all you got?"

In response, Yeta's cradle of ice rose into the air and hovered above Link's head, where it remained, spinning slowly. "What the-" Link started. He was never able to finish, because at that point, the massive ice mass plummeted directly toward him. A streak of cursing that would have turned the air blue erupted from his lips as he dove out of the way.

Ice shrapnel ground into Link's skin as the behemoth of ice hammered into the ground only a few centimetres away. Scrambling to his feet, Link hammered the ball and chain into the ice cradle. Swinging it around his head to build momentum, he slammed it into the ice mass again, and again. Yeta hissed at him, frantically trying to free the ice cradle that was being smashed piece by piece. She finally freed it from the ground as Link slammed the iron ball into it one last time, throwing all his strength behind it.

Yeta screeched, a high sound that shattered the glass in the bedroom windows. The ice outside was riven into pieces. The ice mass slammed into the ground, shattering into thousands of pieces. Link gasped as a sliver of ice drove into his side, quickly melting from the heat of his blood.

Yeta screeched again as the mirror drifted from her grasp. "No!" she hissed, clawing at the mirror. She convulsed, then went rigid, her eyes rolling up into her head as she went into seizure. After several seconds of thrashing, she relaxed and lay on the floor. The mirror floated over to Link, hovering in front of him. He reached out and grabbed it.

Gazing into the mirror, Link admired his reflection in it. He was really quite dashing, if he dare say so. He blinked, and the reflection changed. Now a blue-eyed wolf's face was reflected beside his. The faces merged, became a single reflection. They melded back and forth, settling on an in-between state, a horrifying mix of wolf and human features, a twisted mockery of both species. _NO!_ Link thought. _That's NOT what I am!_ The reflection persisted, taunting him with a tortured visage. He wanted to throw the mirror across the room, destroy it as completely as he could… He shook his head, growling, shaking the cobwebs from his brain. He motioned to Midna, who had wisely hidden in a shadow in the corner of the room. "Take this," he grunted.

Midna's eyes grew wide. "GIVE ME THAT!" she screeched.

"I was just about to…" Link began irritably.

Midna cut him off as she snatched it from his hand. "You idiot!" she hissed. "Why did you actually _touch_ it?"

"Well…I…" Link started sheepishly.

"Didn't you see what it did to _her?_ Did it even occur to you that it might affect you, too?"

"Okay, okay," Link snapped. "So I'm not known for foresight. Shut up."

Just then, the door slammed open. Link whirled, to see Yeto standing there. With a howl of despair, he ran over to Yeta, knocking Link aside in the process, and gently gathered her up in his massive arms. One romantic exchange later, the two embraced, oblivious to the adventurers still standing in the room.

Link blushed. "Maybe, uh, we should…you know…"

"Yes, let's," Midna replied, creating a portal.

Link stepped out of the portal, then fell, the portal having opened at least a metre above the ground. He grunted, getting up, ignoring the world as it spun around him. He had long since gotten used to the nauseous effects of warping. While Midna busied herself with the portal, he placed his head in his hand, quietly allowing himself a moment to weep. The romance between the Yetis had just reminded him of how everything he loved was either gone, or out of reach. "Link?"

He whirled, quickly wiping his eyes. Had Midna seen him crying? "Yeah?" he replied, trying to keep the catch out of his voice.

Midna gave him a strange look. "You okay?" she asked, concern written all over her face.

"Never better," Link replied briskly, turning. "So, shall we-"

"HEEEEEEEYYYYY!"

Link turned, suppressing a grimace. The postman, just now coming over a hill, always creeped him out. Maybe it was because of the weird places Link always found him. Fado's stable, for instance.

"I have a letter for Master Link," the postman said, sweeping it out of his bag with a flourish and a hummed fanfare. Link took it gingerly, forcing a smile. "Well, off to mail!" the postman said, unheeding of Link's obvious displeasure. He turned and ran off into Hyrule Field.

Link opened the letter, pulling out the piece of parchment. _Probably another junk mail ad for Malo Mart,_ he thought, scanning the letter. Seeing as it was not from Malo Mart, he read it.

Link stayed in a frozen pose for several moments, eyes glued to the letter, the blood slowly draining from his face.

"Link?" Midna asked, seeing his ashen features. "What's wrong?"

His head snapped up. "We have to get to Kakariko Village," he said in a strangled voice. "Now!"


	9. Tragedy

Link raced toward Kakariko Village of the back of Epona. Her sides were lathered with sweat, and her sides heaved with the effort. "Come on, come on," Link murmured, coaxing a little more speed out of his horse. The letter had been short, but horrifying.

_Link,_

_There isn't much time. Come to the village immediately._

_Renado_

It wasn't the letter itself that scared Link. It was the small postscript scrawled at the bottom of the page.

_It's Ilia._

Renado's normally neat and precise handwriting was a rushed, barely legible scrawl. A smear of ink showed on one side of the page where the pen nib had snapped, spraying ink over the parchment.

Midna raced behind Link, frantically attempting to keep up. He had pushed his horse to a ridiculous pace, almost running her into the ground. A good league from the gates of the village, she collapsed, gasping. Link jumped out of the saddle and quickly gave her a quick once-over. Finding nothing more serious than exhaustion, he turned and began to run towards the village. "Midna, stay with Epona!" he shouted over his shoulder.

Midna barely heard what Link said over her hammering heart. Gasping for breath, she stopped beside the horse. Epona's breathing was already becoming less laboured. The horse was smart enough to realize when she was at the breaking point, and refused to continue. Several minutes later, the horse got up and began munching grass. Midna sighed, finding no point in staying, and continued her pursuit of Link.

Link burst into the village, panting heavily. He staggered to the spring nearby, letting the waters ease his cramped muscles. His feet ached from running the league to the village. He had not stopped once to rest, sprinting the entire time. A few seconds later, he straightened up, revitalized by the waters of the spring.

Renado caught sight of him and began striding over. Link beat him to the punch, sprinting over to him. "I came as fast as I could," he said breathlessly. "What's wrong?"

Renado said nothing, only looked away, sadness tingeing his eyes. Desperate for an answer, Link lunged over to the next familiar face he saw. Grabbing Colin's shoulder, he asked "What happened?"

Colin looked at Link, burst into tears, and fled. "Please!" Link shouted after him. "What's going on?"

Link felt a hand on his shoulder. "I think it would be best if you were to leave now, m'boy."

He turned, shocked by who he saw behind him. Standing there, eyes red-rimmed, was Mayor Bo. "Mayor?" Link asked, feeling strangled. "What're you doing here?"

The mayor of his hometown village turned and left him standing in the street, still with no answer. "Wait," Link said, remembering the reason for his urgency. "Where's Ilia?"

Upon hearing the name, Mayor Bo made a sound like a wounded animal and charged at Link, knocking him to the ground. Link leapt to his feet, confused more than ever. Mayor Bo didn't attack again. Instead, he sank to his knees, hands over his face, sobbing.

"Renado!" Link shouted. "I came because of Ilia. Now where is she?"

When he still didn't get an answer, he sniffed. "Fine. I'll just find out for myself." Link turned and began walking to Renado's house, where Ilia had been staying. At this, Renado leapt into action. "I would most strongly advise against that," he said gently, moving forward.

"I don't give a shit what you advise!" Link snarled. He walked again to the house, only to feel himself forcibly restrained. He elbowed the culprit in the gut, then shifted his weight back, throwing his assailant over his hip.

Barnes slammed into the ground, grunting as the air was forced from his lungs. Link drew his sword, enraged. "Anyone else wanna try and stop me?" he challenged. "Huh? Anyone?" He swung his sword a couple times for emphasis, the steel making a soft but deadly _swish_ as it carved through the air.

"Link," Renado spoke up. "For your own good, don't go in there."

"Fuck you," Link said calmly, turning and walking into the house.

Link picked his way through Renado's house, searching for whatever it was they didn't want him to see. A small part of his mind said that if _they_ didn't want him to see whatever it was, he probably didn't want to see it either. Link ignored this, striding forward. He held his sword loosely in his left hand, prepared to defend himself if need be. The eerie silence unnerved him.

He cautiously opened the door to Renado's study, walking inside. Ilia was sitting in a chair, sleeping. Link frowned. They were this desperate to keep him out to give Ilia some_ privacy?_ Still, something about her was odd. When he finally saw it, he staggered backwards, sword dropping from his fingers.

He ran forward, gathering her up in his arms, heedless of the blood that stained his tunic. The deep red blood covering the front of Ilia's dress. The blood that had come from the ornate ceremonial dagger buried in her chest. Tears blurring his vision, Link's eyes happened upon a scrap of paper on the desk. He picked it up with a shaking hand, reading it.

_The memories won't come back. I just hurt everyone. I'm doing everybody a favour._

_And Link?_

_I'm sorry._

Hand shaking, Link crushed the scrap of paper in his fist. He slowly became aware of someone screaming, a horrible, animal sound. A moment later he realized the sound was coming from _him._ Tears ran down his face, dropped onto Ilia's. It was serene, peaceful.

_How could she do it?_ Link thought brokenly. He decided he couldn't bear the sight of the dagger in her chest any longer, and removed it, the wet _crunch_ the blade made as it left her flesh tearing his heart in two.

Bloody dagger in one hand, Ilia in the other, Link sobbed brokenly. All joy in the world was gone. He had nothing except duty to live for. Roaring in pain and grief, he hurled the dagger at the wall as hard as he could. It struck a wooden beam blade-first, penetrating to the stone wall. He wrapped himself protectively around Ilia, his cries the deep sobs of one who has nothing left.

Renado found him that way, sobbing heartbrokenly, arms wrapped around the girl. Gentle condolences passed from his lips as he tried to convince Link to let go of her.

It took the combined strength of Renado, Mayor Bo and Barnes to pry Link away.


	10. Pain

Link sat morosely at a table in Malo Mart. He sat, blankly staring at a fixed point on the wall. He had been that way for twenty minutes. Malo walked up, poured a generous measure of strong Eldin whisky into a glass, and passed it to Link. "On the house," he whispered. Even the unusually stoic Malo was shocked by Ilia's suicide. Renado sat beside Link, watching as he sipped blindly at the whiskey with his right hand. In his left, he held abloodstained scrap of cloth, torn from Ilia's dress as Renado dragged him away from her. He gasped as it burned down his throat, making the first sound since being led into the store, the alcohol dulling the pain slightly. But only slightly.

The pain raged on, the alcohol a drop of water on a raging inferno of pain and loss. Finally Link spoke. He spoke so softly Renado almost didn't hear him. "How long?"

"Pardon?" Renado asked, not grasping Link's meaning.

"You know. How late was I?"

"Four hours."

Link's hand tightened on the glass, gripping it so hard it shattered. Link didn't even notice the glass shards that cut into his palm. "Hey!" Malo said. "The booze was on the house, but the glass wasn't!"

Without hesitation, Link lunged across the bar, grabbing the baby-faced shopowner by the throat. His sword was suddenly in his hand, ramming into Malo's stomach, sending his blood all over the bar…

Link blinked. Malo had backed up, palms out. Seeing the dangerous look in Link's eye, he decided it would be safer out of reach.

"It took me six hours to get here." Link said softly. "I started moving as soon as I got the letter."

He picked up what was left of the glass and threw it as hard as he could. Renado winced as it shattered against the stone tiles. "I was too late." he continued, staring into space. "I was always there for her, except when it really counted." He stared at the blood seeping out of the gashes on his hand. Unsheathing a small belt knife, he drew the blade along one of them, doubling the depth of the gash. Horrified, Renado watched as Link repeated the process for the other five gashes on his hand, heedless of the blood now running freely down his arm, pooling on the bar.

Seeing Renado's expression, Link held his hand up. "Mementos of pain," he said. He then sheathed the knife, got up and walked out of the village. Renado watched him go, terrified by his unusual reaction.

Link staggered along the path, eyes open but not seeing, mind working but not thinking. Blood dripped in a steady stream from the gashes on his hand to the ground. Finally succumbing to blood loss, Link collapsed on the path, eyes staring into eternity. His hand opened, the scrap of fabric falling to the ground, where it was quickly carried away by the wind.

Midna had caught up with Link as soon as he entered the village. Working her way from shadow to shadow, she crept ever closer to Link, then, upon seeing the violent state he was getting himself into, decided against approaching him. Instead, she watched helplessly from a shadow as he entered Renado's house, leaving Barnes lying on the ground, gasping for breath, and Renado staring at the door. Moments later, a wounded howl emanated from the house. Midna gasped, eyes widening as she guessed what he had found. Within minutes, they dragged him out. He was weeping hysterically, blood staining the front of his tunic, clutching a scrap of cloth in his hand. Midna shadowed him as he made his way to Malo Mart, desperately wishing she could comfort him. When he began cutting into his hand, she wanted to scream at him, knock some sense into him, make him _stop._ But she couldn't risk exposure. She finally got her opportunity to comfort him as he walked out of sight of the village.

She emerged from his shadow, ready to throw her arms around his neck and try to ease his unimaginable pain, when he swayed and collapsed. She rushed to his side, cursing herself for not noticing the degree of blood loss earlier. She had been so distracted by his pain, she simply hadn't noticed. She looked around for something, _anything_ to stop the bleeding. She searched through his pockets. Empty bottle, empty bottle, milk that had long since gone sour… oh, this was hopeless! Moving back, she summoned what meager power she could, channeling it into the bleeding gashes. Noticing no difference, she increased the flow, determined to save his life. Several minutes later, she was relieved to see the blood flow had finally stopped.

Link regained consciousness several hour later, feeling weak and light-headed. Looking around with a head that wobbled on his neck, he saw Midna stirring something over a fire. He groaned as the weakness brought on by blood loss mixed with a hammering headache from a blistering hangover. _Dear Gods, how much did I drink?_ Link thought, Ilia temporarily forgotten.

Midna, seeing Link awake, rushed to his side, a steaming cup of…well, better not to go into that…clutched in her small hands. "Drink this," she ordered, tipping the mixture into Link's mouth. Link choked as the acrid mixture of herbs and things he didn't even want to _guess_ at slid down his throat. "What the hell is that?" he sputtered, spitting out what remained in his mouth.

"Trust me," Midna replied, grinning wickedly, "You don't want to know."

Link sighed, staring at the bottom of the cup. He felt washed out, hanging limp in the breeze, nothing left to keep him going. "What's the point?" he muttered, tossing the cup aside. Midna was immediately back at his side, spooning more of her homemade potion into the cup. "Look," she started, "I know you've just suffered a terrible loss, but you need to move on and…save…the…"

From the look on Link's face, Midna knew she had said the wrong thing. "Move on?" Link choked, tears pooling in his eyes. "Move on? My childhood friend, my closest companion, half of my heart, just killed herself and you tell me to move on?"

"Link, I can't tell you how sorry I am that-"

"No," Link snarled, cutting her off. "You're not sorry. You can't see past your goddamn sense of duty and your own conniving ways."

Midna's eyes filled with tears to match Link's. "No, it's not like that-"

"Oh, yes it is, and don't try to deny it. You've manipulated me all along, suckering me into whatever you want done. I originally did it because of duty, but then I started agreeing because I…Goddesses forbid…liked you."

"Link, I-"

"Don't say anything more!" Link screamed, tears overflowing and running down his cheeks. "I've had enough with you bending me to your will. I've had it with the Twilight, I've had it with Zant, I've had it with this whole…fucking…kingdom!"

He stood up, hurled the cup and its contents into the bush, and stomped away. "Link, wait!" Midna yelled. Link's fist popped up behind him, middle finger standing rigid.

Desperate, Midna did the first thing that occurred to her. She sang.


	11. The Song

Midna sang, her voice echoing across the darkened Hyrule Field. At first, her lone voice had no effect. Then, it seemed to split into hundreds of individual voices, merging together in a single melody. She sang in the language of the Twili, an ethereal mix of music and sighs. A sudden burst of inspiration struck her, and she infused the words and notes with power from her helm. The effect was startling.

She became a conduit for an outpouring of raw emotion, her voice that of a choir of gods. The notes, dissonant individually, melted into a haunting river of sound that swept away Link's pain. The melody wandered from chord to chord, hundreds of voices somehow emanating from a single throat, each with its own melody. Link turned in wonder, as thunder crashed overhead. Far from adding a sinister effect, the sudden sound only seemed to add more power to the emotion contained within Midna's voice.

Midna's eyes were closed, her arms outstretched as she quaked with the immense power of the song she was weaving. Link watched, rapt, the words resonating on his very soul. The song spoke of loss, pain and grief, yet as it reminded Link of these feelings, it swept them away in the current of the words. The pain was still there, but in a different manner, as if from a month-old wound rather than a minute-old one. As the music continued to grow in strength, Midna attempted to stop channeling power into the words, but the music had her in its grasp, refusing to relinquish its hold.

As the melody reached a climax, the clouds overhead began to pour down a curtain of rain. Again, Midna's voice only wove it into the music, building on the sound and making it her own. Midna's voice rose in intensity, then fell back into a soft murmur. As the power faded from her words, her voice became one again, still melding with the rain and thunder.

Midna fell silent, shocked at the sheer outpouring of elemental power her voice had unleashed. Nothing like that had ever happened to her before. Usually, when she sang, the only voice she heard was her own. But here, it was different. Once she began channeling power into the words, the music took a mind of its own, adding more voices where it desired.

"I know you would want me to go on," Link's voice shocked her. It sounded plain and flat after the symphony hers had somehow created. She turned, expecting the words to be directed at her, but they weren't. Link's gaze was focused somewhere on the other side of the horizon. "Although it pains me to be apart from you, I'll continue."

Link bowed his head. "I will go on."


	12. What's the Officer, Problem?

Link made his way into Castle Town. Midna sighed impatiently, desperate to be on her way. "Remind me why we're here."

Link sighed patiently, saying for the umpteenth time, "We can't find the mirror shard until we know where to look. Telma's gang may have the answer."

Midna grunted ill-temperedly, disappearing into his shadow. Link made his way through the streets, shrugging past people carrying vases or baskets. Stopping beside a large, colourful tent, he fingered the Rupees in his wallet, debating whether to give the STAR game a go. Deciding against it, he moved on, finally coming to Telma's bar.

Link opened the door, surprised to see Rusl standing there. He embraced Link tightly, pulling him into the bar. "I can't tell you how sorry I am about Ilia," he said.

"How did you know?" Link asked, dumbfounded.

"I have my ways," Rusl said mysteriously.

"Ilia? What happened?" Telma asked from behind the bar. "She didn't get herself into any trouble, did she?"

Link closed his eyes, a tear making its way down his cheek. The pain reawakened in his breast, accompanied by the howl of a wolf only he could hear. _Be strong,_ he thought, taking a deep breath.

He looked Telma straight in the eye. "Please, tell me," she said. "Give it to me straight. I can handle it."

"You want it straight?" Link snarled. "She killed herself yesterday. Stabbed herself in the heart."

"Oh, Gods," Telma whispered. How had this happened? Ilia seemed to be such a strong individual, always finding the strength to carry on.

Rusl gently placed a hand on Link's shoulder. "I suggest we not dwell on this matter," he said quietly. "Ilia's death is a tragedy, that is for sure, but we will mourn when the time comes. For now, we must focus on the kingdom."

Link looked Rusl in the eye. "I couldn't have said it better myself."

As Link walked towards the table, Midna formed a mental link with him. _I don't like this,_ she thought. _It seems like a waste of time._

_Relax,_ Link thought back. _We can focus on what needs doing. This is important._

**Two hours later…**

"And so then the drunk says, 'That aint no cherry pie! That's my wife!'"

Link, Rusl and Shad collapsed in laughter as Auru took a bow on top of the table.

"Wait, wait, I got one," Rusl slurred, gesturing with his mug. He didn't seem to notice as beer slopped over the rim. "Okay, why did the Cucco cross the path?"

Still chuckling, Link said, "Okay, I'll bite. Why?"

"Who gives a shit, as long as it ends up on my plate?"

The table exploded with laughter yet again. Ashei challenged Shad to a drinking contest. Three shots later, Shad could no longer see clearly, despite his glasses. "How many fingers am I holding up?" Ashei said, sticking her middle finger up.

Shad thought for a moment. "Three," he said honestly.

Ashei laughed, looking at Auru sprawled drunkenly on the floor. Tipping her chair backwards, she rested her feet on the table. "Man," she remarked, "You guys really can't hold your liquor." She tossed back the whiskey in her glass like it was water. Moments later, the chair tipped over backwards, leaving her sprawled on the floor, snoring.

Rusl chuckled. "Let's give everyone still conscious a treat. Telma!" He gestured to the woman behind the bar. Telma closed her eyes, pinching the bridge of her nose between thumb and forefinger. Why did she put up with them? "Yes?" she replied sweetly.

"Break out the three hundred!" Rusl said, unnecessarily loud.

As Telma ducked down behind the bar, Rusl turned back to Link and Shad. "Boy, are you guys in for a treat," he said, rubbing his hands together. The fact that he still had the coordination to do that astounded him. "Telma's got a bottle of three hundred year old gin. Like drinking honey."

Telma came over, pouring tiny measures of a dark amber liquid into shot glasses from a dusty bottle. Link reached for his glass, noticed he was a foot off, tried again, and managed to grab it. "Here's to Ilia's memory," he proclaimed, holding the shot in the air. "Hear, hear," Rusl said, pouring his down his throat. The last thing Link remembered clearly was tipping his shot back. Then oblivion.

Link woke up with a splitting headache, a sore shoulder, and an annoying itching sensation between his shoulder blades. The itching was quickly explained as he realized he was lying on an anthill. He leapt up, brushing the biting insect off him. He looked around, realizing he was in Hyrule Field, a good quarter league from Castle Town. He then looked down, and realized he was stark naked.

_What the hell happened last night?_ Link thought through his pounding hangover. He slowly made his way to the walls of Castle Town, noting with some irritation that the gates were locked. He pounded on the gate. "Hey! Open up!"

He winced, holding a hand to his forehead. The loud noise had drilled straight into his skull. "Well, you're in a bit of trouble, aren't you?"

Link looked up, seeing a guard looking over the battlements. "Looking for this?" the guard said, dangling Link's tunic over the wall.

"Yeah, some clothes would be nice. Now give them to me before I have to come up there and kill you."

"Love to see you try," another voice said. More guards were coming over, attracted by the commotion he was making. A few wolf-whistled and threw down green Rupees.

"For fuck's sake, just give me my clothes!" Link shouted. "I'm really hung over, and I have important things that need doing."

"Fine, ruin our fun," the guard said. He dropped Link's tunic, making sure it landed in a puddle. Link scrambled over, pulling it on as fast as he could. While he was doing that, Midna came out of his shadow, making sure she was out of sight of the guards. "Well," she said. "That was certainly productive. Not only did you get nothing done, you humiliated yourself in front of all of Hyrule. Do you have anything to say for yourself?"

Link's growl only amused her more. Grinning wickedly, she held her hand out and snapped her fingers right beside his ear. At the sudden sound, Link ducked his head, making a sound like a whining dog. "You really partied hard last night." Midna said. "I'm not going to get into half of what you did after drinking that gin."

Link growled again in reply, and stomped back into Castle Town.

The moment he staggered into Telma's bar, she passed him a small sack of ice. Grunting a word of thanks, he pressed it against his head, grimly surveying the group of adventurers. Rusl also held an ice pack, groaning whenever someone talked. Auru was still passed out on the floor, in the exact same position Link had last seen him in.

A spluttering sound drew his attention, and Link looked over in time to see Telma plunge Ashei's head into a bucket of ice water. Telma held her under for a few seconds, then released her. Ashei rose up, coughing, but seeming much more alert. "Okay," she said, catching her breath. Walking over to the table, she kicked Auru. His only response was a loud snore.

Groaning, she sat down at the table. Shad seemed perfectly ordinary, except he blushed whenever someone said the word "bottlecap". Link had yet to fathom why. Rusl gingerly took the ice pack away from his head, laying it on the table. "To business?" he said weakly. Link nodded. "To business," he agreed.


	13. Turning Point

Link groaned, massaging his temple. The headache from his hangover was still there, but thanks to Telma's ice-water treatment, he was able to function somewhat better. He also noticed each member of the group had a different method of dealing with drunkenness. Shan took off his glasses, and walked around, slamming into things until he deemed himself fit for duty. Rusl merely slapped himself, and seemed fine after that.

Auru's method, however, was definitely the most entertaining. He took a small amount of ground hot pepper, made a small line, and snorted it. After about fifteen minutes of hysterical sneezing, Auru was able to think clearly.

The mood in the bar was somewhat more somber. Ilia's funeral was scheduled for that day, her body having arrived back at Ordon Village. Link and Rusl quietly excused themselves and made their way back to Ordon, Link riding Epona, and Rusl riding a gray mare from the stables. In accordance with custom, they both rode bareback the entire way, heedless of the discomfort.

When they finally arrived back at the village, Link went into his house, where he exchanged his green hero's tunic for a plain black robe. Glancing at the scars on his hand, he considered reopening them to remind himself of what he was fighting against, but decided against it. It would not do to bleed all over Ilia at her funeral.

Sighing, he stood up, leaving his gear at home. He slowly walked over to the segregated part of the village used for a graveyard, stopping to admire a flower along the way. He knew he was just stalling, however; putting off the inevitable pain that would come with seeing Ilia again.

Link finally arrived at the scheduled spot. Renado was there to perform the final rites. Seeing everyone there, he began. He spoke of Ilia's life, her accomplishments, reminding everyone of the good times. He made no mention of her suicide, or circumstances thereof, referring to it simply as an unspeakable tragedy. Link bowed his head respectfully as Ilia's body was brought in, draped in a thin shroud.

When it became time for her to become "one with the earth," as they said in Link's village, Link stepped forward. The other villagers gasped at this breach of custom, but Link paid them no heed. He bent over and gently kissed Ilia's closed eyes. He then brought a bracelet from his pouch. The completed wool band, semiprecious stones woven into the material with painstaking care, glimmered in the sunlight. Link gently grasped Ilia's hand, sliding the bracelet onto her wrist. That done, he backed up to where he was supposed to be during the ritual, tears now dropping to the ground.

Throughout the entire ceremony, Midna watched Link, her heart constricting as she tried to imagine his pain. She wanted nothing more than to go over, kiss him gently, provide a small measure of warmth in the freezing blizzard his life had become. But she couldn't. It was not to be, and besides, this was neither the time nor the place for such a display. It would taint Ilia's memory, never mind that it would reveal Midna to the villagers. She could only imagine their reaction. No, she couldn't do this to him. She could only hide in the shadows and weep with him, for an entirely different reason.

Link slowly walked back to his house. He felt empty inside, cleared out of all emotion. Even the fifty Rupees he found in his basement failed to cheer him. He just felt…numb. Glancing at the scars on his hand, he unsheathed his belt knife yet again. Tracing the scars with the blade, Link finally felt something again. No matter how hard he tried to reopen the scars, he couldn't apply enough pressure. Confused, he sharpened the knife, thinking it was just dull, then tried again. Again, he couldn't make the cuts that would reunite him with his beloved.

Dropping the knife, Link backed away. It would seem there was still something keeping him here. It couldn't be responsibility, he'd shrugged that off when Ilia died. All this, he thought in a strange, detached manner. _I don't understand,_ he thought. _The love of my life is dead. Dead! I'll never hear her voice again, never have the chance to kiss her, never ride with her on Epona again. Why do I not feel anything?_

He paused. Nothing. Not a twinge of loss, not a hint of the indescribable agony that had ripped him to pieces inside before. He sighed, his thoughts once again turning to her. _I'll never even see the expression on her face when I gave her the bracelet…_

The bracelet was not just a random gift. With it would come a question, one Link wanted to ask her as soon as he brought back her memory. He was going to ask her to marry him. Just then, the dam inside him broke. All of his pent-up loss, rage and pain poured into him However, instead of letting it consume him, he redirected it, forging it into a blade of purest wrath. Link screamed, a wild, mindless howl of pure animal intent, the wolf awakening once again. Yet this time, it didn't take over, and Link didn't force it down. The wolf and Link merged into one being, fully and completely. He did not merely accept it, like he did so long ago beside the river. He welcomed it, drawing it from the shadows of his mind.

The two halves of his mind fused into one, human intelligence and logic meeting a wolf's instinct and animal power, tempered by a bath of white-hot rage. Link knew exactly what to do. Screw the Mirror. Screw Midna's plans. It was too late for that. The time had come to throw caution to the wind, make a preemptive strike. Link drew his sword, holding it to the fading light as if seeing it for the first time.

Sword in hand, he strode into the twilight, purpose written into his features.

It would rain blood tonight.


	14. Rage

As Link left the village, Midna felt it was finally safe to show herself. She moved up behind him. "Where are you going?" she asked.

"Ah, good. You finally showed up. I was afraid I was going to have to start looking for you."

Midna frowned confused. "That doesn't answer my-"

"Make a portal to Hyrule Field," Link ordered, cutting her off. "Take me to the river."

Midna frowned, stalling. "Which one?" she asked, although she had a pretty good idea which one he was taking about. "There're a lot of rivers in Hyrule Field."

He looked into her eyes. Midna flinched, backing up slightly, unnerved by what she saw. His eyes held a raging inferno of grief, rage and hatred. "Link," she began, "What are you planning?"

Link grinned. No humour in it, it stretched from ear to ear, twisting his face into a hideous parody of his usually gentle features.

"Why," he said, "I'm going kill Zant,"

"You know perfectly well you can't get to him without the Mirror. And _me_, for that matter."

His grin never even wavered.

_He must no something I don't,_ Midna thought. "Do you have a plan?" she said out loud.

"A plan?" he said, cocking his head to one side. "Nope. No plans rattling around in my skull."

"So, what are you going to do?" Midna asked, now genuinely concerned.

Link shrugged. "Something stupid. Now take me to the river where I met the wolf."

Midna decided to go along with him for now, and just stop him the second he did something dangerous. She complied, warping him to the river.

Link stepped out of the portal and strode towards the river. "I don't know why, but something about this place…" he paused, cutting off the thought. He walked to the bank of the river. "You see this river, Midna?" he said, picking a small pebble from the water. "It is probably one of the strongest forces in the world." He held up the pebble, admiring its smoothness.

"A river can take any substance, no matter how strong it is, and over a period of time, wear it away until there's nothing left." He bounced the stone on his palm. "Take this stone, for instance. It is probably all that remains of a massive boulder, broken off and ground down into a tiny, insignificant spot."

He threw the stone as hard as he could. "I am caught in a river right now. It has infinite strength, and I can't get out of it." He bowed his head. "Every time it seems I can withstand its flow, it gets stronger, wearing me away that much quicker."

He gestured towards Midna. "Take Zant's curse, for instance." Midna brought it out, curious as to how it related to a river. "At first, that was all the river was. When I recovered my human form, the river started attacking my mind, making the wolf take over. And when I finally calmed the wolf, Ilia killed herself." He began walking closer to Midna. "So," he continued, "Since getting out of the river isn't an option, there's really only one thing I can do."

He paused for emphasis. "Stop the river at its source."

Midna stared at him, so calm and resolute, even in the face of such adversity. "Link," she whispered. "How do you keep going?"

Link's intense blue eyes met hers. "Easy," he said. "There are things I don't want to lose."

Midna, feeling bold, decided to press on. "Such as?"

Link broke eye contact. "One of the things that kept me going is gone. That was Ilia. I was fighting for her, but I failed her. And so, I failed myself."

A lone tear traveled down his face. "The other…"

Midna looked at him expectantly. "Is you."

Midna, shocked, was lost for words. Link looked away. "At first, I hated you. But then… Something changed. I don't know what. And you went from a helper to a driving force."

Midna had trouble comprehending this revelation. _Does that…does that mean he…loves…me?_

He paused again, looking lost for a moment. Then the look of confusion was gone, replaced by determination. "You gave me the strength to stand in the river. But now, I need to stand in it alone."

With that, he snatched the curse from her hand. Midna froze for a second, amazed that he'd gotten close enough to do that without her noticing. Then the reality of the situation struck her. "Link, no!" she shouted, lunging forward…

But she was too late. Link crushed the curse in his fist, breaking it into shards. He sighed as the sharp edges sliced into his hand, opening the six scars in his palm. As his blood began to run down his arm, his mind met Zant's, following the backtrail of magic. Both minds froze for an instant, shocked at the abrupt contact. Shock turned to rage on Link's part, fear on Zant's, as Link pawed through his mind, unearthing his every plan and intention.

Terrified, gibbering madly, Zant broke the connection, collapsing in his throne room. How much had the hero seen? How much did he now know? One thing was sure: His God had to be notified. Zant had only seen one thing in Link's mind during their brief contact: Link wanted nothing more than to kill him. He was coming even as Zant rushed to his God.

Midna watched, shocked, as an expression of purest malice crossed Link's face even as it morphed into a wolf's. She shrank from it, knowing that he was consumed by rage, willing to lash out at anything that stood in his way. Just before the transformation into a wolf was complete, the wolf/Link looked at her. "Don't follow me," he said with a mouth now unfit for speaking. He then turned and bounded into the night.

Zant warped himself to the throne room of Hyrule Castle. "My lord," he gasped breathlessly as soon as he appeared.

The voice of his God cut him off. "Have you forgotten your place, Zant? Show respect!"

Remembering, Zant prostrated himself before his God. "The hero comes, my lord!" he gasped. "Nothing will stop him. He will come and kill us!"

"How do you know this?" his God asked.

Zant quavered for a moment, then regained some measure of his composure. "He found some way to contact my mind. He saw everything. The only thing I caught from him was rage, blind rage. He will burn us both if we don't stop him!"

His God caught him completely off-guard by chuckling. "You have done well, Zant," he growled. "Willingly or not, you have delivered the hero to me, and to his doom."

"Th-thank you, my lord?"

"Regrettably, I fear you have outlived you usefulness."

Those words struck Zant like a hammer blow. "What?"

Forgetting himself, he jerked his head up, looking his God square in the eye. Ganondorf, leader of the Gerudo Thieves, stared back at him. The corner of his mouth quirked in a smile. "Only at the end do you grow a spine," he growled, standing up.

Zant jerked as he felt a surge of power explode through him. He looked up. "Wh-what is this?" he gasped.

His God regarded him calmly. "You always wanted more power. I'm giving it to you."

Zant convulsed as the flow of power increased. "No…it's…too much" he gasped.

The power ignited within him in a white-hot inferno, scouring him from the inside out. Zant screamed, a hellish sound, as his body was obliterated by the sheer volume of energy pouring into him. For a moment, the Triforce of Power glowed on his hand, and disappeared from Ganondorf's. Then, with a final scream, a pillar of crackling darkness erupted from Zant, his spirit banished by the power of the light. Swaying gently, his smoking husk collapsed on the floor, the distinctive helmet crumbling into ash. Zant's eyes stared sightlessly, bright orange orbs now dim and flat. Ganon chuckled, watching the Triforce of Power reappear on his hand. "You served me well, Zant."


	15. Pursuit

Rational thought faded as soon as Link's mind returned to his body. What replaced it was an endless chasm of hatred. Link saw everything Zant had done. How he cursed Link not to get him out of the way, but to break him. How, when that failed, he changed the curse to corrupt Link's mind. And, finally, how in desperation, he struck at what Link held most dear.

In hindsight, it made perfect sense. According to Renado, Ilia's descent into suicide had been incredibly sudden, with no apparent cause. In their collective grief, nobody paid any heed to the dark rune etched onto her skin. Nobody wondered where the dagger had come from, or why a similar rune was engraved into its jeweled hilt. Zant had not wanted to kill him. He was far too cruel for that. Instead, he wanted to make Link suffer a living death, utterly crushing his spirit until nothing remained.

All this ran through the wolf's head as it ran, its intent focused on a single purpose: to find Zant and rip him to pieces. His fangs thirsted for Zant's blood. He wanted to tear Zant's throat out like he did the Bulbin's, and watch the life fade from his eyes. Unheeding of the stabbing pain in its paw, the wolf ran. Uncaring of the burn of overstressed muscles, it ran. The enemies that lunged at it went unacknowledged, the cries of the guards on the walls of Castle Town went unnoticed. Unthinking, the wolf ran, knowing deep in its heart that Zant lurked within the castle.

Midna paused at the gate to Castle Town, unsure if she should follow Link and risk exposure. Stubborn as she was, she had followed him anyway, ignoring his warning. Hearing screams from inside Castle Town, she decided that her appearance really wouldn't make much difference, anyway. She raced into the city, following the screams, knowing they would lead her to Link.

Link raced through the city, closing in on the castle, ignoring the people that screamed and fled at the sight of him. He turned into the main square, racing towards the castle…

And stopped, a thicket of spears blocking his path. He growled at the pathetic bunch that called themselves guards, seeing several of them cringe in terror. But they never moved an inch. Link realized that he was going to have to get past them the hard way. Their death would be regrettable, but they were in his way, and that was unacceptable. Barking savagely, he leapt forward…at the exact instant Zant died.

The wolf…no…Link, stopped in midstride, screaming as the curse was irrevocably broken by Zant's death. He screamed as he felt his bones shift, lengthen and move, switching to a configuration more suited to bipedal life. He felt a horrendous itching as the wolf's fur retreated into his skin, and finally, his howl gave way to a human scream as his face and throat returned to normal.

The guards were shocked. Where a savage wolf once stood was now a young man garbed in green, who bore a shocking resemblance to the hero they had heard rumors of. This was too much for them. Throwing down their weapons, the guards ran, screaming. Link watched them go, then turned to face the townspeople staring dumbly at him. They expected him to say something, he realized. Something to comfort them, something to explain why a fearsome wolf turned into a man they all admired. Searching his mind, he found the perfect thing.

"What the _HELL_ are you looking at?" Link bellowed.

The assembled townspeople made nary a sound, refusing to move, lest they risk provoking him. Link turned and stomped toward the castle. He knew he would regret that later, but for now, he simply didn't care. All that he cared about was that his goal was within sight.

Drawing his sword, he faced the barrier that separated Hyrule Castle from Castle Town. He reversed the blade, driving it into the barrier, putting all of his rage, sorrow and hatred into the blow. He did this at the exact moment Ganondorf decided to let him in, dropping the barrier.

Of course, to Link, it looked like he had actually destroyed it himself. Confident, he strode into the castle, prepared to fight absolutely anything to get to Zant. And after Zant was dead…well, Link really didn't really know what would happen next. He preferred not to think about it.

Link walked through the halls of the castle, making his way to the throne room. Nothing stood in his way. Anything he saw, he killed. Already, the front of his tunic was stained maroon from his enemies' blood. He fought with every ounce of skill he possessed, mixed with a wolf's instinct and fierce aggression. Against that, nothing could survive for long.

Midna charged through the castle, following the trail of bodies. Each one lay more mutilated than the last, more often than not lying in a spreading pool of blood, showing that Link had mortally wounded them and simply continued. The odd one was still alive, piteously moaning as blood pumped from the stump of a severed limb.

The piles of the dead grew more and more frequent the closer she got to the throne room. The pools of blood, clotted and sticky at first, were now fresh and still spreading. And now she could hear Link savagely screaming at those that dared stand in his way, the ring of steel on steel as he tore through them with unnatural skill. She increased her pace, stretching her limits, desperate to at least _be_ with him in the final confrontation. Because, although she refused to admit it, she wanted to see Zant die as well.


	16. Confrontation

Link burst into the throne room, remarkably unscathed from his furious struggle to get there. Blood dripped from his sword, staining the ornate carpet. He didn't understand. His intuition told him Zant was here, yet there was no sign of him. Searching for the distinctive helmet, Link only saw a pale form sprawled in front of the throne. Something about the robe struck Link as familiar, but he ignored it. His eyes continued to scan the room. The dead man was obviously one of Zant's victims; he must be close.

The deep voice caught Link by surprise. "You looking for something, boy?"

Link whirled, blade coming to guard position as he regarded the tall man standing in front of him. A jewel adorned his forehead, and he had the darkest complexion Link had ever seen. "Nothing of any consequence," he spat. "Just the murderer of my closest friend." _And beloved,_ he thought silently.

The dark man frowned. He extended a hand, and to Link's surprise, an image of Zant, composed of light, appeared there. "Does he look anything like this?"

Ganondorf grinned. Stringing the hero along was proving to be even more fun than he'd originally hoped. _Now to go for the kill,_ he thought.

"Judging by your expression, that's the one you're looking for." The man sniffed haughtily_._ "You're a bit late. I killed him about ten minutes ago."

Link's reaction was not what Ganondorf expected. Instead of grief, he drew his sword and aimed it at Ganondorf's chest. "You rob me of my revenge," he said softly. "I'll just have to kill you instead."

In response, Ganondorf drew the sword he had stolen from the sages, making his Triforce of Power glow on his hand. "That would not be wise, boy."

Link staggered back in shock. He had come here expecting Zant, and ended up not just with Zant dead, but the sworn enemy of Hyrule standing in front of him.

"It was not Zant who was responsible, it was I," Ganon gloated. "Zant was just my puppet. I pull a string, and he curses you. I move another, and he kills your friend."

Ganon's words had been intended to further crush Link's spirit. Instead, they had the opposite effect. Link roared and charged at Ganon, whirling his sword in a deadly offense. Ganon caught the first blow on his sword easily enough, but the next one caught him by surprise as Link reversed his stroke. It was only from a frantic dodge that Ganon avoided being disemboweled.

Ganon fell back beneath Link's onslaught, sweat beading his brow. Link was an accomplished swordsman, but Ganon's skill level was about even with his. How then, was he _losing?_ Deflecting an overhand blow, Ganon leaned back as Link changed it into a backhand strike. The tip of the blade whistled past Ganon's throat a hairs-width away from the skin. _If I wanted a shave, I'd ask for one,_ Ganon thought irritably.

Remembering what his weapons instructor had said years ago, that the best defense was a good offense, Ganon tried to take an offensive stance. Yet by the time his sword started moving, Link was already gone, putting a new tear in his robe and the skin beneath. Link moved his sword as if by instinct, not even appearing to think about what direction he would strike in next. His formidable skill was joined by the canine grace and aggression of his canine other self. A chill went through Ganon as he realized he was witnessing a true mastery of the blade. Cursing, Ganon dropped back into a defensive form, blade ringing as it deflected Link's attacks. _I need an endgame, and fast,_ Ganon thought desperately. _I can't keep this up._

Link, as it turns out was thinking the same thing. _Why can't I get past his guard?_ Link jumped back, landing a quick one-two slash. Both attacks were blocked by Ganon's blade, the sword of light seemingly moving of its own accord. _I can't keep this pace up much longer. I need a trump card._

Although Ganon was tiring, he sensed that Link was, as well. He blocked a slash that came much slower than usual, then launched an attack of his own. Link fell back, sword flicking out in every direction as Ganon pressed his advantage. At this point, Ganon found Link's fatal weakness: although he fought well, he was fighting with rage, not courage. As a result, he couldn't draw power from the Triforce of Courage that blazed on his hand. Ganon laughed, driving Link back. He locked blades with Link, and laughed in his face.

Link disengaged from the lock, backpedaling frantically. The seemingly unlimited surge of energy that came with his rage was fading quickly. Desperate, he caught Ganon's sword on his shield, then thrust his sword forward in a stab that would have taken Ganon through the heart. It would have, had Ganon still been standing there. "Over here, boy," a voice said from his left shoulder. Link turned, just as Ganon smashed a fist into his face. Recovering quickly, Link spun his sword in a circle, reversed it, and locked it with Ganon's. The unusual grip gave him slightly more leverage, allowing him to push Ganon back.

Pressing forward, Link attempted to end it by driving his sword into the dark man's throat. As the blade of evil's bane approached, Ganondorf closed his eyes for a split second, concentrating. He released the spell, creating an illusion of Ilia's face over his. Confusion flickered on Link's face, and he faltered for a split second. That respite was all Ganondorf needed, as he slammed the flat of his blade into Link's leg.

Link staggered, off balance, as Ganon launched a devastating vertical blow. Link just barely got his sword in the way in time to prevent the blade from bisecting him. However, the force behind the blow almost drove the Master Sword into its wielder, the shock numbing Link's hand. Sensing an opportunity, Ganon reversed the blow, driving his sword upwards. More by luck than anything else, the blade struck Link's shield, saving his life, but numbing his other arm. Knowing the next blow would cleave him in two, Link closed his eyes, knowing he was about to die.


	17. A Hero's Path

The expected blow never came. Link glanced down, shocked, to see Ganondorf's blade lodged in his shield. The blow was powerful enough to actually cut through the metal, yet it resulted in the sword sticking where it was. Seizing the opportunity as Ganon attempted to free his sword, Link leapt forward, sword arcing out in a blur of steel. Although hampered by his slightly shorter reach, the blade still carved a shallow trench across Ganon's chest. He screamed in pain and rage, jerking his sword free in one swift motion. Still bellowing, the massive man swung a wild backhand blow, telegraphing it from a mile away. Link, seeing it coming, raised his mangled shield, catching the blade of light on it in a spray of sparks and molten metal.

The force contained behind the blow lifted Link off his feet, sending him crashing into the closest pillar. Just before striking the unyielding stone, Link raised his sword arm to protect his head. His arm, taking the brunt of the impact, broke with a sickening snap that echoed throughout the chamber. Hissing in pain, Link looked at his now-useless arm, seeing a patch of white where the shattered bone had punched through the skin. Breathing heavily, he dropped the twisted chunk of metal that was once a shield, switching his sword to his right hand. Although semi-ambidextrous, Link preferred using his left hand for most things, including swordsmanship. He had trained with his right arm in case his left was incapacitated, but possessed nowhere near the skill level he usually had.

He charged at Ganon, left arm clutched protectively against his chest, refusing to give him even the slightest respite. Ganon, sensing Link's weakness, batted his sword aside with a contemptuous blow. Before Link recovered, Ganon locked blades with him, then spun his blade in a circle, removing Link's sword from his hand. The sacred blade spun up in the air, flashing as it reflected the light streaming in from the broken windows. Without even looking at it, Ganon caught it in his left hand, ignoring the burn of the hilt as the sword attempted to reject him.

Link looked toward the window, noting the light that streamed through the stained glass. He had been defeated, all was lost, and yet the sun continued to shine brightly, as if the heavens themselves were mocking his defeat.

Link glared at The Thief King defiantly, making no attempt to flee. "You think you've won," he spat.

"Oh, but I have," Ganondorf replied. He struck out with both swords, forcing Link to jump back. "With their hero gone, all of Hyrule, and the Twilight, for that matter, will have no choice…"

He kicked Link in the chest, sending him to the floor in the most painful way possible. Link sucked in a breath and yelled as the impact jarred his broken arm. Ganon leaned forward grinning wickedly. "But to bow down to me," he finished.

Raising his massive foot, he stomped on Link's chest as hard as he could. A great _whoosh_ of air escaped Link as his chest was stoven in, most of his ribs snapping.

"_No!_"

The voice echoed from the chamber. Ganon looked around, confused. It could not have come from Link, who was hardly in any condition to breathe, let alone yell. He became even more confused when a burning fist picked him up and threw him across the chamber. He stood, coughing, amid the rubble of the wall he had shattered with his impact. As the smoke cleared, he immediately understood.

Midna had raced as fast as she could through the castle, following the sound of Link's combat. However, the castle, built to repel invaders, was built like a maze, and Midna frequently got lost, the trail of bodies having stopped. Each time she ran into a dead end, or raced into a hallway she had seen before, she cursed, regained her bearings, and charged ahead. As a result, she missed most of the battle, charging into the throne room just in time to see Ganondorf smash his foot into Link's chest. "No!" she screamed, flinging a spell of devastating power at Ganondorf. This was a spell so powerful, even Zant feared using it.

She had only used it one other time in her lifetime, when an assassin had attacked her. Without thinking, she had hurled the spell at him, unaware of what it did. The spell separated the man's life force from his body, his mortal form immediately collapsing into ash. His screaming had rung in the air for hours as his separated life whirled around the room, attempting to rejoin its body. Finally, the screams had faded, leaving the throne room quiet once more.

This was the spell she hurled at Ganondorf. The tall man was flung across the throne room like a ragdoll by the force of the spell, smashing into a wall. To her shock, he got back up, seeming none the worse for wear. "Your people possess some skill, which has been useful to me, but they lack true power," the man gloated.

He held up a clenched fist, a design composed of three triangles glowing on his hand. "The kind of absolute power those chosen by the Gods wield."

Midna advanced, positioning herself between Ganon and Link, ignoring Link's gasped pleas to save herself. Seeing the way Midna stood protectively over Link, Ganon grinned. "Shadow has been moved by light, it seems," he murmered.

He advanced, knocking Midna aside casually, ignoring the bolt of energy she flung at him. Midna hit the floor hard, the breath in her lungs leaving her in an audible gasp. Ganon looked over at her. "This is a fortunate turn of events," he gloated. Not only can I eliminate the hero-" He spat the last word out, layering it with contempt. "But at the same time…" He reversed the Master Sword, sheathing the other, clenching both hands around the hilt of the sword of evil's bane. "I can break his shadow."

With that, he slammed the Master Sword down, driving it into Link's chest and the stone floor below. Link screamed as the sword speared through him, the blade cold as ice, yet hotter than a thousand suns. He screamed as he experienced an agony no sentient creature should ever experience. He screamed as he suffered a wound he knew to be fatal. His scream petered off into a gurgle as his lung filled with blood. He was barely aware, through a haze of pain, that someone else was screaming.

Midna screamed as Link was impaled, a scream with no words, just an incoherent howl of grief. Ganon stood up, leaving Link impaled on is own sword like a bug in a collection. She continued her wails of grief even as Ganon seized her arm. Grinning maliciously, he brought the sword of light forward, making a small nick on her palm. Midna screamed again, in agony this time, as the light power in the blade burned through her veins, attempting to scour away her shadow form. Ganon withdrew the blade, still grinning, leaving Midna warily eying the blade, panting. _Why won't he stop grinning?_ she thought just before he cut her again, and her world once again dissolved into pain.

Midna's scream cut through the fog of pain that had wrapped itself around Link's brain. He wished he could do something to help, but the sword in his chest held him down. He gasped for breath, his chest heaving around the sword. How easy it would be to just give up the struggle, to slip into nothingness…Midna screamed again, even louder than the last. It seemed impossible that such a small frame could create such a sound at such an impossible volume. At this, Link surged back into consciousness with a feral growl. He closed his hand around the hilt of the sword, the wolf taking over one last time. He strained to remove it, pain attempting to blast him away. Snarling, he pulled harder. A red veil descended over his vison as the blade began to move. Finally, a stab of purest agony, a gout of blood, and the sword was in his hand.

Link somehow managed to stand, wobbling slightly, as blood poured from his horrific chest wound. He took a step forward, and his shattered arm swung, knocking against his leg. He closed his eyes as a blast of pain shot through him, finding the strength to remain standing. He knew that if he fell, if he even sank to his knees, he would never rise. He forced himself forward, sword held in his right hand, his eyes focused on one thing and one thing only: the unprotected back of Ganondorf.

So focused was Ganon on torturing Midna that he didn't notice as Link tugged the sword out of his chest and stood. But Midna noticed. Her eyes remained focused on her hero the entire time. Even through the repeated torture of the sword of light burning away everything she was, she continued watching him. "I grow weary of this," Ganon said. "It is time for you to die."

He drew back his arm for the fatal stroke, and faltered. An arm clad in green had snaked around his throat, pulling him towards Link. Ganon stiffened as the blade of evil's bane sprouted from his chest. Link's hand had been shaky, but his aim was true: the sacred sword punched through the exact spot the blade of light he now wielded pierced him so long ago. Ganon screamed, as the ever-present light energy in his unhealed wound drew strength from the power of the sword and began eating him away. "Die," Link growled, giving the blade a brutal twist, dragging it through Ganon's body. Blood pumped over Link's hands as the sword severed Ganon's posterior artery, shredded his intestines, cut through the inferior vena cava.

Ganon threw back his head and screamed as flames composed of pure light burst from every pore. The jewel on his head shattered from the heat of the fire, yet his robes remained whole. He thrashed and screamed, no longer recognizable as the King of Evil, just a screaming, man-shaped column of flames. As his body was obliterated, his eyes began to see something else. Zant, his faithful servant, was standing at the front ranks of a crowd of people. With a sickening lurch, Ganon recognized them as the ones he had killed over the years.

Moving as one, the crowd raised an arm, index finger rigid, pointing at Ganondorf with all the authority of fate itself. Then the laughter began. Zant was first, his insane cackle cutting through the air. Then the rest of them began to laugh, laughing as the bringer of their doom screamed and burned on the other side of the veil of death. They laughed as he screamed, their final tribute to the king of darkness.

At their laughter, Ganondorf's heart, hardened by years of slaughter, finally shattered. He bowed his head, and wept for all his wasted opportunities, his mistakes, his misdirected passion. His tears were immediately consumed by the inferno his body had become. For the first and last time in his life, Ganondorf felt remorse. Uncaring of the flames that continued to consume his body, he wept, covering his flaming face with hands reduced to charred stubs. With a final cry, his body was rent into pieces, each fragment of his shattered spirit drifting in a different direction. The flame went out. Ganondorf, sworn enemy of Hyrule, was finally dead.


	18. The River of Light

The Master Sword clattered to the stone floor, the nerveless fingers that once held it, wielded it with such skill and determination now limp and unresponsive. Link collapsed, his grievous injury finally taking its toll. Yet he continued to gasp for breath, each one a weak, tortured hitching of the chest. He felt strangely empty, the flames of revenge gone. Nothing remained to keep him alive.

Midna raised herself from the floor, still shaking from the torture Ganondorf had inflicted upon her. With a jolt, she suddenly realized she had taken her true form. Overjoyed, she spun in a circle, grinning from ear to ear. Link would be so happ-

_Link!_

She rushed to his side, her eyes filling with tears as she saw the true extent of his horrific injury. Broken shards of bone ringed the hole in the right side of his chest. Blood streamed from the ungodly wound, pooling beneath Link.

"Midna…" he whispered.

"Don't speak, Link," Midna said, trying to focus through her tears. Using the full extent of her newly returned power, she wove a healing spell, focusing it into the chest wound. Her body jerked as the power left her in a rush, flooding into Link. To her horror, the wound showed no sign of closing, despite the amount of power she channeled into it. There was simply too much to heal. Desperate, she increased the flow, stopping when Link's hand grabbed her wrist.

Surprised, Midna allowed the power to slip from her grasp, fading back into her body. "Midna," Link said again. His gasps were becoming shallower, and less frequent.

Painfully, he beckoned for her to come closer. He knew he didn't have much time left. Already, black was flickering across the edges of his vision. Midna leaned closer, unheeding of the tears that dropped onto Link's ruined chest.

"I wanted…tell you…better circumstances…" Link managed.

He leaned up, positioning his mouth inches away from her ear. "I…" he said, voice cracking. He swallowed, then tried again. "I…love you," he gasped with his dying breath.

Midna gently eased him back to the floor, weeping freely now. There was so much she wanted to say to him, starting with returning his words, but she knew it was too late for that. Instead, she leaned in and kissed him, smashing her mouth against his, savoring the first, last and only moment where their hearts would beat as one. She kissed him passionately as his life left him.

Although she was loath to do it, she backed off, staring into his eyes. Link smiled gently. He was at peace. The wolf was finally silent, its endless howls having finally ceased. His chest wound wasn't even bothering him that much anymore. The fact that he had stopped breathing hardly even seemed relevant. His task was complete. As his awareness faded, he began…to see…something…different…

A slight, barely audible sigh came from Link's lips as the breath in his lungs left. He didn't take another. "Link?" Midna asked, her voice quavering.

He didn't respond.

"Link!" Midna shrieked, becoming hysterical. She shook his shoulders. "Don't leave me!"

A whisper on the wind. Midna's head jerked up. Was it her imagination, or did it say something?

Something she never expected to hear.

_I will always be with you..._

Reaching out with a shaking hand, she closed Link's eyes. The blank cobalt orbs were hidden, sparing her from the terrible emptiness that now showed inside them.

Giving in to the tidal wave of grief, Midna bent over his body.

Moments later, the haunting sound of her keening began to echo through the deserted halls of Hyrule Castle. They were the first thing Zelda heard when she awakened from her cursed sleep.

…

Blankness.

Link suddenly awoke. It was not the walls of Hyrule Castle he looked at, but an utterly featureless landscape. The flat, treeless land stretched as far as the eye could see, somehow illuminated by a light that couldn't exist. The horizon ended with a night sky devoid of stars, an utterly blank void. The only feature that existed was a river that carved through the landscape. Link made his way toward it, his footsteps making no sound.

The river seemed to be composed of pure light, all the stars missing from the sky above collected in its eternally rushing current. Within its banks, Link saw all the detail and beauty that this landscape was missing: The shine of the sun as it reflected off the leaves of a tree, the feeling of the wind whistling past, the smell of the sweet clover that made up the field. And, over all that, the whisper of a thousand conversations, speaking of joy, sadness, love and peace. The river more than made up for the blankness of the landscape.

Silhouetted against the river's ethereal light were two figures: A girl rubbing a proud, blue-eyed wolf behind the ears. She looked over at Link. Blue eyes met sparkling green, and she smiled.

For the first time, Link felt that everything was right in the world as he gazed into Ilia's eyes. Joy blossomed in his heart as he saw the woven bracelet that adorned her wrist. Tears flowing down his cheeks, he said one thing:

"You waited for me…"


	19. Afterword

**Afterword**

After all this time, countless revisions, bouts of writer's block and inspiration, the story is finally done. Believe it or not, this is the first thing I have ever written. You might have differing opinions, but frankly, I surprised myself. I was amazed by the way the story turned out, the immense amount of symbolism I unconsciously put into it. I especially like the motif of rivers, which I only noticed halfway through.

No, I'm not writing a sequel. One, there's nothing to write a sequel about except sentimental crap, and two, that would completely kill the impact of Link's martyrdom.

One final word: When and if you review this, please be vague regarding spoilers. I don't want anyone to accidentally ruin the story for anyone else.

Thanks for reading!

Later note: You know, having written some other stuff, and going back to this story, I kinda scare myself. At one point, I turned Link into a hardcore emo, and wrote one of the most depressing endings ever. I must be reading too much Stephen King or something.


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